Monday, October 09, 2006

Yolo County: Vote Yes on H and I Local controlSMUD is owned by its customersResidents elect the SMUD Board of DirectorsSMUD Directors answer only to customers, not stockholdersCustomers have direct input on energy decisions and ratesDon't be fooled by PG&E's BIG LIES. The true costs of PG&E's poles and wires in the expansion area is NOT $500 million. That's part of their scare campaign. In fact, last year PG&E paid taxes on an assessed value of $78 million for these poles and wires. After an extensive study of PG&E and SMUD, the Sacramento LAFCo, an independent governmental body who decides on the merit of any agency expansion, ruled in favor of SMUD and approved a vote on Yolo annexation for this November. Not buying PG&E's lame arguments, LAFCo concluded that SMUD had the electric capacity to provide additional service, and the funds to purchase the Yolo infrastructure (which LAFCo's consultant appraised at $110 million), and the potential to save the district's customers between $165 million and $380 million dollars over 20 years. LAFCo's executive director said, "It's a win-win for Yolo and (existing) SMUD customers".

PG&E ads spread outrageous claims. When Folsom asked to change from PG&E to SMUD, PG&E trotted out paid "experts" who predicted that the switch would bring high rates and dire straits. It did not. What PG&E won't tell you is that Folsom has enjoyed a savings of $238 million and the entire SMUD community $360 million since Folsom joined SMUD twenty years ago. So far, through Sept. 22, PG&E had spent $l.2 million of our monies on KCRA ads. Add the other stations plus print ads and you can see why PG&E keeps asking the Public Utilities Commission for rate increases.

SMUD would bring HUGE savings to our schools. The 2003 Davis Citizen's Energy Task Force report showed that when the actual bills of Folsom High (@11.1 cents/kWh))and Davis High (@20.4 cents/kWh) were compared, Davis High School could hypothetically have saved $12,329 a month with SMUD, with an annual savings of $147,948. Using the Folsom School District model, the Davis Joint Unified School District could have had an annual savings of $477,816 with SMUD over PG&E's much more expensive rates. Think how many bake sales or car washes that equals. The numbers are stunning! Seeing the benefits, the Davis School Board recently voted 5-0 in favor of SMUD. Add the savings Yolo cities could achieve with SMUD and it's no wonder 19 elected leaders of Davis, Woodland, and West Sacramento and Yolo County unanimously voted to invite SMUD to provide service for Yolo County. It's a no-brainer if people know the facts.

Written by Lorna Enero BermanDavis

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.~ George Orwell